"We didn't turn away people": Perspectives of key informants at stakeholder agencies in San Diego County, CA in meeting the food insecurity demands during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Abstract

Background: The increase in food insecurity (FI) during the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in greater demand for food- and nutrition-related services. Yet, little is known about the experiences of local food- and nutrition-related agencies and how they responded to address the increased need.

Purpose: We aimed to elucidate the perspectives and experiences of key informants from diverse food- and nutrition-related stakeholder agencies in addressing FI in San Diego County, CA during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: The Socioecological Model and a capacity-oriented approach informed this qualitative study. Trained researchers conducted semi-structured interviews virtually on Zoom with 20 key informants from 14 food- and nutrition-related stakeholder agencies and analyzed data using thematic content analysis.

Results: Three linked themes emerged relating to how agencies addressed FI during the COVID-19 pandemic: (i) the pandemic uniquely influenced the agencies and the services they provided by presenting both challenges (e.g. limited in-person contact created distinct barriers) and opportunities (e.g. charitable contributions and federal funding increased); (ii) agencies leveraged new and existing within-agency capacities (e.g. adaptability, volunteers) and across-agency partnerships to address the increased demand; and (iii) agencies became forward-thinking as a result of the pandemic (e.g. focused on intentional and innovative strategic goals).

Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic influenced how food- and nutrition-related stakeholder agencies provided services, leading agencies to create new and leverage existing within-agency capacities and across-agency partnerships and to prioritize forward-thinking goals. Future research should consider the long-term implications of the pandemic on the effectiveness of agency services.